The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-22

In the letter they stated that Schmidt (the
name he is known by there, had made SIX
unsuccessful attempts to gain his liberty,
the last scheme for liberation being the
most ingenious ever attempted IN their
prison. He had been placed in the solitary
cell for previous attempts at escape, and 1t
was thought that this punishment would
forever convince him that the prison Off
Gals were not to be trifled with. On Sun
day il is the custom of the members of the
board TO visit the prison, hospitals and all
convicts in solitary confinement. When the
directors got to Schmidts cell they noticed
smoke emanatng from it, and, peering in,
saw the stalwart convict almost naked, with
his arms claSped behind. His skin was
bleached from lone confinement in the dark
cell, but his rugged frame was perfect. The
smoke was made by burning paper in pan
to give the guard the idea that he was
smoking, and the dust when was afterward
discovered came from cement dug out from
between She stone blocks in small quantities.
He had cut out large blocks of granite which
lay unfortunately about the floor having
hid nearly all the dust beneath the blankets
of his bed. He was begrimed with dirt and
bathed in sweat when discovered, and looked
like giant. He had taken a piece of wire
from the bale of his bucket and sharpened it
on the wall
he had cut out the cement and removed all
the courses of blocks until only one more
impeded his progress, and he had succeeded
in removing nearly all of that. When the
guards searched his cell they found two
pieces of wire sharpened as keen as a razor
and formed in the shape of a dagger With
this he had intended to creep along the cor
ridor, sneak up behind the captain of the
guard, stab him suddenly, and then take his
pistols and fight for liberty. He intended
to commit murder, and if captured it would
necessitate his being taken to Sacramento for
trial, and from the Jail at that place he
could effect comparatively easy escape.
When Schmidt was discovered at this work
he was taken to another cell and doubly
manacled, and watch put over him. For
two years he was busily engaged at burglary
in San Francisco and Sacramento, and for
a long time the police could not overtake
him. His modus operandi consisted simply
of ladder, which he generally stole from a
convenient place in the neighborhood
mapped out for his burglaries, and with this
he would march boldly along the street tC
| the point of his operation, where he would
put it against window and ascend to the
| second story
Such is the history of a man whose escape
from Chester prison | consider eclipseS any,
| thing | ever heard of in criminal annals
w nlle db Shesuei nc was d peculiar prisoner
! We could never learn anything about him
from the time he entered until he escaped
He was always an enigma. His extraor-
binary MISUNDERSTANDING to curry
| favor with any one-and his unqualified
| aversion to his fellow convicts were some of
his peculiar idiosyncrasies. He was non
communicative at all times, and every ruse
essayed to draw him into talkative MOOD
signally failed. We could never ascertain
his nationality, but he claimed to be ma
tive of Riga, Russia. He spoke Englishrathel
brokenly. I afterward heard that he had
relatives living in Cincinnati by the name
of Brewnstein or Berenstein, engaged in the
clothing business there.